Snowbank cutter



May 3, 1938.

v s. .cfsLEEPER ET AL SNOWBANK CUTTER F iled May 19, 1937 s Sfiets-Sheet 1 MED 60/7 9/)? O- Ifeeper May 3, 1938. s. c. SLEEPER ET AL SNOWBANK CUTTER 3' Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 19, 1937 v & U 9 R M m NW ll\ I l|\ I \m "m W Kw h n QM 1 & T 4 fimumwnwnn h N N m May 3, 1938.

s. c. SLEEPER ET AL 2,115,790

. SNOWBANK CUTTER Filed May 19, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 'II/IIIIIII/Im E W 4. or '-J eepew Slai /0a Patented May 3, 1938 UNITED STATES SNOWBANK CUTTER Sanborn c. Sleeper, Newben'yr and Louis Du Pm,- Marquette, Mich.

Application May 19, 1937, Serial No. 143,418

1 This invention relatesto a motor propelled device adapted to cut down snow banks at the sides of roadways. The device is usable in connection with snow plows that clearthe roadways and can follow such snow plows.

It has heretofore been the practice, in cleara vice of this invention is adapted for such removal of snow banks by cutting down the banks and propelling the snow at great distances from the road.

It is then an object of this invention to provide a snow bank cutter.

5 vide a self-propelled vehicle with a laterally extending device adapted to cut into banks 'ofsnow along a roadway and discharge the snow.

' at great distances from the road.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wing or moldboard on the side of a self-pro pelled vehicle adapted to be disposed over the shoulders of roads for cleaning out snowdeposited on such shoulders. A further object of this invention is to. provide a laterally extending moldboard with a screw propeller for ejecting snow received on the moldboard laterally therefrom.

A further object of this invention is to provide a simple wing mounting structure with a screw propeller for cutting down snow banks.

Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the annexed sheets of drawings which disclose a 45 preferred embodiment of the invention.

On the drawings: 1

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a truck equipped with a snow bank cutter of this invention extending laterally from the truck with the end 50 thereof broken away. Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the truck and snow bank cutter shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation, taken. substantially along the'line i nr-m of Figures.

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the snow bank cutter of this invention illustrating the manner in which the moldboard of the cutter is carried from a truck.

' Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line V-V of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a-horizontal cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation, and with parts. broken away, taken substantially along the line -VI-VI of Figure 4.

. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation, taken substantially along the line VII-VII of Figure 1. I

As shown on the drawings:

In Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the reference numeral Ill designates generally a motor truck having a driver's cab Ii and a platform back l2. .An auxiliary'motor I3 is mounted on the platform back l2.

The main chassis of the motor truck l0 carries a superstructure H which, as best shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, extends upwardly in front 4 of the cab II. The superstructure i4 carrles at' A further object of this invention is to prothe top thereof a sheave ii for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully described.

The roof of the cab ll'has mounted thereon a fluid pressurecylinder I8 having a piston rod ll extending therefrom, A piston (not shown) is disposed in the cylinder l6 and is operated by fluid pressure, such as oil pressure, through a tube l8 communicating with the forward end of the cylinder as shown in Figure 1. A valve (not shown) disposed in thedrivers cab, controls the flow of. oil to the cylinder for operating the piston rod l'l into and out of the cylinder. The piston rod I! has secured on the end thereof a cable l9 disposed around the sheave I5. I

As best shown in Figures 1 and 4, the main frame of the motor truck I0 carries near the front end thereof a bracket to which is swiv-' elled a, platform 21 extending over the front wheel of the truck. The platform 2| may have an opening 22 in the central portion thereof allowing the top of the wheel to extend above the platform.

The outer end of the platform 2| has downtumed arms 23 best shown in Figures 4 and '7; The arms 23 have bosses 24 on the ends thereof.

One or both of the arms 23 can be provided with a housing portion 25 extending downwardly therefrom below its boss 24 for receiving the shank-28 of a wheel mounting 21 carrying a supporting wheel 2!.

The platform 2| can thus be held in desired spaced relation from the ground by adjusting the position of the shank 23 in the housing 23. The wheel 23 will hold the outer end of the platform 2! in a desired horizontal position.

A moldboard or wing member of segmental conical shape has the small end mounted in a plate 3|. The plate 3i carries brackets 32 which are pivoted to the bosses 24 of the arms 23 by a rod 33 extending through the bosses and brackets as shown in Figures 1 and. 'l.

The moldboard or wing 30 is formed of comparatively light weight sheet metal and has an open front face adapted to scoop up snow. The large end of the moldboard, or wing may be from 12 to 15 feet away from the motor truck Ill and the wing is adapted to be swung outward over the shoulders and ditches of highways.

A plurality of intumed ridges 34 extending longitudinally in the inner face of the moldboard 30 may be crimped into the sheet metal forming the moldboard to rigidlfy the same and also to aid in clearing the moldboard of snow as wilLbe more fully hereinafter described. A screw. conveyor or propeller 35 is mounted in the moldboard 33 on a shaft 36 extending through the center of the moldboard and through the plate 3i. As best shown in Figure 6, the end of the shaft receives a boss 31 thereon and a pin 38 extends through the end of the screw conveyor tube, the boss 31 and the shaft 38.

The other end of the shaft 36 receives, on the outside of the plate 3 I a bevelled gear 38 adapted to drive the shaft and thus rotate thescrew conveyor. The gear 39 is in mesh with a bevelled gear 40 secured on the rod 33.

The back end of the rod 33 receives a universal joint 4| connecting the rod with a shaft 42 extending alongside of the motor truck to the rear end thereof. The rear end of the shaft has.

a second universal joint 43 thereon which joint 43 is secured to a bearing member 44 carried in a bracket 45 secured to the platform i2 of the motor truck. a

The bearing 44 has a sprocket gear 46 on the back end thereof driven by a chain 41 from a A reinforcing rod or brace 49, best shown in Figures 1 and 2, is hingedly connected to a midportion of the moldboard 30 and an intermediate portion of a frame of the motor truck. This brace 43 serves to hold the mold board in lateral relation to the motor truck.

It has been pointed out above that a cable i9 is secured to the piston rod I! of the hydraulic cylinder It. The other end of this cable I! is securedto the mold board 30 intermediate the ends thereof. An operation of the piston rod i'l into and out of the cylinder it thus serves to raise and lower the moldboard relative to the truck. This cylinder is operated to lift the moldboard to clear mailboxes, telegraph posts and the like when such encumbrances are met along the shoulders of the roadway.

In operation, the screw conveyor 33 is driven at comparatively high speed and a forward movement of the truck moves the moldboardinto snow banks formed along the roadway.. The screw conveyor forcibly ejects the snow out of 'the large end of the moldboard and actually blows the snow a considerable distance from the roadway.

The crimped portions 34 forming ridges in the nected thereto, said wing member having an open swivelly connected to the platform, a sheet metal antyco moldboard guide the snow longitudinally out of the moldboard.

'Ihemcldboard orwingcanberapidlyrsised -be obtained.

The hydraulic cylinder it rapidly raises the moldboard out of the path of mail boxes, telegraph posts, snow fences and other encumbrances.

The invention has been described in combination with a motor truck. While it is desired to use a wheeled vehicle for carrying the snow bank cutter, it should be understood that any type of vehicle is operative.

The provision of a moldboard having a larger outer end than inner and prevents a clogging of the device with snow since the screw conveyor moves the snow out of .the large end of the moldboard and because it is larger than the inner end, the snow is not compacted during its passage out of the moldboard. High speed operation of the screw conveyor 35 actually effects a blowing of the snow into the field adjacent the road sides.

We are aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and we, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated the prior art.

We claim-as our invention: Y

1. A snow bank cutter comprising a propelled vehicle having a main frame, a platform member swivelly connected to said main frame at the front end of the vehicle, a wheel for supporting said platform from the ground, a moldboard swivelly connected to said platform, a screw propeller in said moldboard and means on said vehicle for driving said propeller.

2. A snow bank cutter comprising a self-propelled vehicle, a wing member extending lateral- 1y from a side of the vehicle and swivelly conend spaced from the vehicle, a screw conveyor in front of said wing member, an auxiliary motor on said vehicle for driving said screw conveyor at high speeds to blow snow out of the open end of the wing member away from the vehicle, and means for raising said wing and screw conveyor relative to the vehicle. 3. A snow bank cutter comprising in combination with a motor truck, a platform swivelly connected to the main frame of the motor truck extending on each side of a front wheel of the truck, an adjustable wheel for holding the platform in spaced relation from the ground, a plate member moldboard secured to 'said plate and extending laterally therefrom, said moldboard being arouately curved and flared outward away from the plate, a screw conveyor mounted in said moldboard, an auxiliary engine on said truck, means operatively connecting said engine with said screw conveyor for driving the conveyor, a hydraulic cylinder, operatively connected with the moldboard for raising and lowering the same and a brace member secured to an intermediate pcr- 40 hicle operatively connected to the screw for rotion of the moldboard and to the truck for holding the moldboard laterally of the truck.

'4. A snow bank cutter comprising a self-propelled wheeled vehicle, an auxiliary engine carried at the back end of said vehicle, a wing member extending laterally from the front end of the vehicle having an open end spaced from the vehicle, means'swivelly connecting the wing memher to the vehicle, -a screw conveyor rotatably mounted adjacent the front face of the wing member, and substantially coextensive therewith, means driven by the auxiliary engine connected to the screw-conveyor for'rotating theconveyor at high speeds to act as a blower, and means for raising and lowering said wing and screw conveyor relative to the vehicle whereby said vehicle is adapted to push said wing into snow banks and said screw conveyor blows the snow laterally out adapted to travel along a roadway; an open face of the open end of the wing.

5 Ida device of the class described, a wing member having a concave front face, raised rib portions extending longitudinally along said face and a screw conveyor coextensive with said wing adjacent said face.

6. In a leveling device, a scoop shaped wingmember converging toward its inner end and means for moving material received by the wing out of the large end thereof.

7. In a leveling device, a scoop shaped moldboard converging toward one end thereof and a screw conveyor in said moldboard having the blades convergent therewith. I

8. A snow bank cutter comprising avehicle adapted to travel along a roadway, a moldboard pivotally connected to.the vehicle for movement in .a vertical plane about the pivotal axis, said moldboard adapted to extend laterally over the shoulders and ditches along the roadway, a screw rotatably mounted in front of said moldboard and adapted to move therewith, a motor on said vetating said screw at high speeds to blow snow out of the end of the moldboard away from the vehicle and means on said vehicle to swing the moldboard about its vertical axis, said snow bank cutter being free from stationary laterally extending parts whereby said means can raise all. laterally extendingstructure so as not to extend beyond-the roadway.

9. A snow bank cutter comprising a vehicle arcuate shaped moldboard pivotally connected to adapted to blow the snow out .of the the vehicle for movement in a vertical plane above the pivotal axis, said arcuate moldboard having a small closed end adjacent the vehicle and a large open end spaced from the vehicle, the

moldboard diverging from the small to the large open end, a. screw rotatably mounted in-said moldboard and having the blades thereof diverging symmetrically with the moldboard, said screw adapted to move in a vertical plane with the moldboard, a motor on said vehicle operatively connected to the screw for rotating the screw at high speeds to blo'w snow out of the open end of -the moldboard and means on said.vehicle to swing the moldboard about its pivotal axis, said snow bank cutter being free from stationary 'laterally extending parts whereby said means can raise all laterally extending structure so as not to. extend beyond the roadway.

10. In a snow bank cutter, a vehicle adapted to travel ,along a roadway, a platform member pivotaliy connected to the vehicle, a ground wheel for supporting the platform laterally -of the vehicle, means for adjusting the ground wheel .to raise and lower the platform and an arcuate shaped moldboard secured to said platform and adapted to extend-laterally therefroml 11. A snow bank cutter. comprising in combinae tion with a-motor truck, a platform swivelly connected to the main frame of the motor truck, a ground wheel for holding the platform laterally of the truck, means for adjusting. the ground wheel to raise and lower thejplatform from the I ground, an arcuate shaped moldboard'swivelly connected to the platform, said moldboard diverging from the platform and having a largeopen end, a screw mountedin said moldboard, an

auxiliary engine operatively connected .to said screw for rotating the screw at high speeds, and

a hydraulic cylinder on said truck operatively connected with the moldboard for raising and lowering the same whereby the moldboard isadaptedto extend laterally from the truck over the shoulders and ditches of a roadway for scoop- 

